World Championship 2023: Ding – Nepomniachtchi
With Carlsen having relinquished the crown, the vacant title went to the winner of Ding Liren against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Nepomniachtchi led three times; Ding fought back every time to force a tie, then won the final rapid game with Black to become the 17th — and first Chinese — World Champion.
◈An improbable challenger
Ding reached the match by the narrowest of routes: he replaced the sanctioned Sergey Karjakin in the Candidates, scrambled to meet FIDE's activity requirements after the pandemic, and secured his place only by winning a must-win final-round game. When Carlsen declined to defend, Ding — the Candidates runner-up — was elevated to challenge for the vacant crown.
The classical match was a see-saw: five of the first seven games were decisive, and Nepomniachtchi took the lead three separate times.
◈Levelled, then crowned
Each time Nepomniachtchi edged ahead, Ding answered — equalising again and again to drag the fourteen-game match to a 7–7 tie and a rapid playoff. The first three tiebreak games were drawn.
In the fourth and final rapid game, playing Black, Ding declined a draw and pressed a delicate position until Nepomniachtchi cracked in time trouble. The win made Ding the 17th World Chess Champion and the first from China — a title he greeted with tears.
◈Cross Table
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ding | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 7 |
| Nepomniachtchi | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 7 |
1 win · ½ draw · 0 loss — click a game number to replay it.